Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 17, 2016

Lidenbrock comes rushing home with runic manuscriptSecret hidden in a code complex and intricate.Study and deciphering. No food ‘til code is crackedAxel sees the work is good. Naught that Professor lacked.Look to see a strange journey to the center of the earthLidenbrock would test himself, discover his true worth.Get thee first to Iceland. A volcano ye must findBefore the Kalends of July, if shade and light are kind.Here comes the sun to light the way, the crater they must takeAxel would rather go back home. His knees begin to shake.Look to see a strange journey to the center of the earthFollowing the “Hansback,” of clues there are a dearth.Go astray. Lose your way. Acoustics here are strangeSounds like Axel’s standing close, yet so far out of range.Discovering the cavern, there’s an ocean undergroundCreatures fight between themselves, making a frightful sound.Prehistoric bugs and beasts inhabit the coastlineApe-like man stands twelve feet tall. We take this as a signTo keep our party on the move. To find the passagewayCited in the cryptic note. Make a getaway.Aided by volcanic blast, dodge magma as we fleeEjected to Earth’s surface in southern Italy.Look to see a strange journey to the center of the earthBorn to roam far from our home. Exploration is rebirth.

.Good morning fellow DT fans!.Get ready, Abner. Tracy’s a-headin’ your way!

Don’t think any of us successfully guessed this locale.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne was published in 1864 and translated into English in 1871. Some relevant bits and pieces of the story from Wikipedia: “The story involves German professor Otto Lidenbrock who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the centre of the Earth.”

“Lidenbrock finds “a medieval note written by the (fictional) Icelandic alchemist Arne Saknussemm, who claims to have discovered a passage to the center of the Earth via Snæfell in Iceland.”

“He, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans descend into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, encountering many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, before eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy, at the Stromboli volcano.” (Wikipedia article) "[Under the Earth,] after taking a wrong turn, they run out of water and Axel almost dies, but Hans taps into a neighbouring subterranean river. Lidenbrock and Axel name the resulting stream the “Hansbach” in his honour and the three are saved."

Project Gutenberg has the most faithful English translation available for free: A Journey to the Interior of the Earth.

.Wow, Pequod! What a monumental achievement!

Technically that shadow of Scartaris is supposed to hit just before the first of July, so they’re at least a couple of weeks late if this is “real time.” Also, “a crevasse is a deep crack, or fracture, found in an ice sheet or glacier, as opposed to a crevice that forms in rock.” On Snæfellsjökull (Icelandic for snow-fell glacier), there are crevasses, not crevices.

Dick & Tess are on a tour of his favorite literary locations. Summer arc + travelogue = lovin’ it

Aren’t Tracy and Tess going to stay long enough to see the auroras? I’ve seen some pretty spectacular pictures of them, taken in Iceland.

What a cute couple they make!

Some literary sightseeing is always satisfying. But it seems as though the Icelandic tour must be brief, and Dick and Tess, though now enjoying themselves, must get back to the airport for the next leg of their journey….

State of the World of DT

July 17, 2016

The “plot map” for the Abner Kadaver story (including the Fearless Fosdick dream sequence) is finally up-to-date again. You can find it at http://worldofdt.info/faceoffwithabner. As usual, red is for bad guys, blue is for good guys, grey is both together and the circled numbers can be clicked to see each strip on GoComics.

After much contemplation, I have decided to buy a permanent, shorter domain name for my “World of DT” Dick Tracy information site, now at worldofdt.info and all previous links will now take you to this new address.

Where are we now?

We are at the end of the introduction, which I have split into two acts, but I may change that later. With today’s strip, however, we do start a new act. As I said last week, Abner Kadaver is preparing to kill Tracy in Europe while the Tracys attempt to enjoy their vacation. (It seems to have gone fine so far, but Kadaver awaits up ahead.) Meanwhile, Rikki Mortis is due to start her own mayhem back home after a brief delay. The short-handed MCU will have their hands full, no doubt.

The characters are piling up. I’ll see if I can put together a character review in time for Monday’s strip debut. So far, it only exists in my head.

Reading today’s strip before any comments, I chuckled to myself wondering how Pequod was going to find words rhyming with with Saknussemm, Lidenbrock, and Snæfellsjökull! Your poetry was well-done nonetheless!

My sister, Wendy, and brother-in-law Brett Gnau traveled to Iceland in March. Her travel log along with some pictures of their trip can be found here:

Gnaustalgic Travel – Iceland

I linked to the day that is relevant to today’s strip.

Right click on a picture and select “View Image” to see the enlarged photo.

I half-expected a cameo by Hagar the Horrible

Often wondered whether there was any followup to that expedition…

In the last panel… part of Tracy’s hood is flesh color. First time I’ve every noticed Shane making a mistake.

I’m a big Tracy fan but lately the strip’s been BOOOOORING! I hope it picks up again soon.

From http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Skartaris:

“Skartaris is a land supposed to exist within the core of the Earth, and is the setting of the adventures of [the no-longer published comic book series] Warlord… According to creator Mike Grell, Skartaris’ name ‘comes from the mountain peak ’Scartaris’ that points the way to the passage to the earth’s core in Journey to the Center of the Earth.’ "

So is there a list of European-based Tracy characters that might turn up? Ivanov is one that comes to mind (although a longshot for this story arc).

Cue Rick Wakeman’s album for the anxious stroll along the shoreline. The old Professor has his hands full managing the arduous climb and hot torch. Nice to see Dick and Tess enjoying some down time. It never seems to last too long. Kadaver is much more patient than Lidenbrock.

Thanks to Vista Bill, Night-Gaunt49, cpalmeresq, Willy007, Chris Sherlock, Ray Toler and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

Thank You Mike & Joe & Pequod for the Adventure to the Centre of the Universe…Hi to Bill & Willy…Its All Good!! Dick & Tess are on a Roll!!

That’s why whenever I go to a place that would otherwise be boring, and I know that I’m going to be there for more than “just a few minutes,” I make sure that I have a puzzle book or two with me (and at least two pens that write!).

That’s good planning. I usually come prepared, too, but sometimes an unscheduled stop can take you by surprise. I didn’t actually have a bad time in the Reykjavik airport.

Amazing. I watched the movie “Journey To The Center Of The Earth” last night on Netflix. James Mason and Arlene Dahl were okay, but you had to dealing with the “acting” style of Pat Boone, and the “comic” relief of Hans and Gertrud (the duck). Not to mention the iguanas with crests stuck on masquerading as dinosaurs. I don’t often say this, but while this movie may be considered a classic, it wouldn’t hurt if someone remade it.

Some people have been spoiled by gag-a-day strips.

40 years ago there would have been 7 more panels to tell the story.